Introductory Essay

• Author: Melody Rose,Regina G. Lawrence
• DOI: 10.1177/1065912913493380
• Published date: 01 September 2013
• Date: 01 September 2013
• Subject Matter: Mini-Symposium

493380PRQXXX10.1177/1065912913493380Political Research Quarterly XX(X)
research-article2013
Mini-Symposium
Political Research Quarterly
66(3) 685 –686
Introductory Essay
© 2013 University of Utah
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DOI: 10.1177/1065912913493380
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Regina G. Lawrence1 and Melody Rose2
The number of women seeking elected office in the
brings explicitly feminist theories into closer dialogue
United States has increased significantly over the past
with those working outside of an explicitly feminist
several decades, and they are represented now in larger
framework. Indeed, the pieces in this mini-symposium
numbers than ever before. In light of these developments,
illuminate questions about electoral context that are of as
an emerging literature has attempted to make more
much interest to scholars studying political communica-
nuanced sense of how female candidates are covered by
tion, voting behavior, and political institutions as to those
the news media.
who study gender and politics. As a whole, this mini-
Early analyses that uncovered significant media hur-
symposium integrates and contributes to theory building
dles for female candidates (Bystrom et al. 2004; Kahn
among both feminist scholarship and scholarship not
1996) treated the problem of gender bias in news media
directly animated by feminist concerns, raising questions
somewhat one dimensionally—as befitted the first forays
such as, “How does the type of office (female) candidates
into the field. Ages-old gender stereotypes permeated
seek affect the news agenda?” “How does political party
election news, these studies found, in ways that posed
influence the (gender) stereotypes the news media and
barriers for women seeking office. Journalists (and the
voters attach to particular candidates?” “How do race and
public) often had trouble taking women seriously as
ethnicity of (female) candidates influence the amount and
political...